Elizabeth Blount
'''Elizabeth Blount '''was a maid and mistress of King Henry VIII Tudor. She was often better known by her nickname of "Bessie" but the series only shows her being called by her formal title of Lady Blount. She is portrayed by Ruta Gedmintas. Season One Elizabeth "Bessie" Blount is shown to be Henry's mistress in the very first episode of the series. While they are making love Henry asks how her husband is. She says he is extremely jealous and wants her sent to a nunnery, and they both laugh. Later on in the episode, Bessie visits Cardinal Wolsey, and informs him that she is with child and it is the King's child. Wolsey, initially disinterested, perks up as soon as he hears the child is Henry's, and says he will send her away when she can't hide her pregnancy anymore and she can give birth to her bastard child. Bessie leaves, grateful to Wolsey despite his mistreatment of her. Wolsey tells the King about Bessie, but Henry shows little interest. He doesn't even give Wolsey a message to give to Lady Blount. In the next episode, Wolsey visits Bessie at the establishent she currently resides in, and gives her a message from her husband but no message from Henry, and Bessie is visibly disappointed. As Wolsey leaves, she calls out to him to tell the King that she loves him. Near the end of the episode, in the last ten minutes or so, Bessie goes into labor while Henry races to see the child born of himself and Bessie, and discovers, much to his joy, that it is a son. He celebrates the birth of his illegitimate son Henry Fitzroy, and Catherine is evidently pained that a mistress was able to give the King a son, something she, the Queen, was incapable of doing. Wolsey informs a distraught Bessie that the King has chosen to send their child away to his own establishment. She thanks Wolsey, who leaves. In the fifth episode, Bessie's son Henry Fitzroy is finally going to be sent to his own establishment. Bessie, mad with grief, hugs and kisses her son goodbye and tells him to be kind and thoughtful to the people around him. Her son promises his mother to do so, and leaves as Bessie cries in devastation. At the end of the episode, Bessie is shown walking in black to her son's room, as Henry Fitzroy has died. The men there assure her there was nothing they could do, and Bessie walks over to the bed and lifts her veil. She begins to cry and kisses her son's body, crying very hard. Henry himself is shown crying over his son's death, and Bessie leaves the series. Henry's mistress ''For more mistresses of the King, see MISTRESSES of the King. For pictures, see the home page '' Bessie and Henry had an extremely sexual relationship. In the very first episode of the series we see them passionately making love, and both even joke about Bessie's husband. It is highly unlikely Henry cared anything more for Bessie than sexual infatuation, but in the series and possibly reality, it seems Bessie had a degree of affection for the King which was not returned. In reality it is possible that Bessie began her affair with the King in 1514, as a very young girl. It is sometimes assumed that Henry was faithful to Catherine before his affair with Bessie, but it may be unlikely since Henry betrayed the Queen since the beginning of their marriage. Trivia *Bessie is the first mistress we see with Henry in the entire series. *Although Henry and Bessie were believed to have had a long term relationship, the series only shows them making love once. It can be assumed they had sex more despite the lack of sexual scenes between the two. *Bessie produced Henry's first son. *She was a maid of honor to Catherine of Aragon, which was a higher position than just being a lady in waiting to the Queen. Memorable Quotes *"I am with child...it is his Majesty's child" to Cardinal Wolsey Gallery GW336H470-1-.jpg GW338H473-1-.jpg GW270H405-1-.jpg GW294H284-1-.jpg GW315H280-1-.jpg GW310H207-1-.jpg GW288H165-1-.jpg 2150-mysteria-1-.jpg Elizabeth Blount-1-.jpg